The Parenting Plan is a nine-page form used in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Domestic Relations Branch. Parents use it to put a custody arrangement in writing: who makes which decisions, where the children stay and when, and who pays which expenses. If you want, you can ask the judge in your case to incorporate the completed parenting plan into a court order. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; the form itself is published by DC Courts.
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What is Parenting Plan – District of Columbia?
The Parenting Plan is a nine-page form used in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Domestic Relations Branch, to write down the details of a custody arrangement: who decides what, where the children stay and when, and who pays.
The form states its own purpose: to help you think carefully about the details of your custody order. You can decide who will make which decisions about the children, who the children will stay with and when, and what financial contributions should be made to support them. If you want, you can ask the judge in your case to incorporate the plan into a court order. The DC Courts page for the form describes it the same way, as a written parenting plan that can be added to a court order.
The form separates legal custody (who makes decisions about diet, religion, medical and mental health care, discipline, school, studies and activities) from physical custody (where the children live). It then covers holiday visitation, special and school activities, temporary changes to the schedule, communication, the children's expenses, child support, income tax deductions and college. It ends with an open section for anything else you want to agree on and signature lines for the mother, the father and a witness.
The footer credits the DC Bar Pro Bono Program and shows the revision as "revised 10-2011". The DC Courts page lists the form for download in English.
Who needs to file Parenting Plan – District of Columbia?
The Parenting Plan is for parents who are setting out a custody arrangement in a case in the Family Court's Domestic Relations Branch of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The caption names a plaintiff and a defendant, asks for the DR case number and any related cases, and the signature block is for the mother and the father.
Points the form itself makes:
- The plan is optional in tone: it is meant to help you think through the details, and you can ask the judge to incorporate it into a court order if you want.
- If the parenting arrangements are different for some of your children, write a separate parenting plan for each child.
- Children who are not covered by the plan are listed in a separate block, so the judge and the other parent can see which children the plan does not address.
- A party who has written someone else's address because of fear of harassment or harm checks the SUBSTITUTE ADDRESS box beside the address.
The form does not describe who may sign for a parent or whether anyone else may complete it on a parent's behalf.
When to file Parenting Plan – District of Columbia
The form prints no deadline. You complete it when you want to set the details of your custody arrangement in writing, and the form says you can then ask the judge in your case to incorporate it into a court order. Because it carries a DR case number line and a Related Cases line, it belongs with a case in the Domestic Relations Branch. Several sections also anticipate change over time: the holiday grid uses Year A, Year B and Every Year columns, and the Temporary Changes section sets how much notice a parent must give and how fast the other must reply when the schedule needs to be rearranged.
How to fill out Parenting Plan – District of Columbia
Enter the case caption and parties
At the top, print the plaintiff's and defendant's names, street addresses, cities, states and ZIP codes, and the DR case number and any related cases. Check the SUBSTITUTE ADDRESS box if you wrote someone else's address because you fear harassment or harm.
List the children covered
Under the plan's list of children, enter each child's name, age and where the child lives. Name any children not addressed by this plan in the separate block, and use a separate plan for each child if arrangements differ.
Assign legal custody decisions
For diet, religion, medical care, mental health care, discipline, choice of school, choice of study, school activities and sports activities, mark Both parents decide together, Plaintiff or Defendant. Use the blank lines for other decisions.
Set the decision-making process
Describe the process you will use to make decisions, then name which of you makes the final decision if you cannot agree.
Describe physical custody and the schedule
Enter who the children's residence is with and which days and times of day they are with each person, Sunday through Saturday. Mark whether the schedule is every week, every two weeks or other, and who has the children the rest of the time if it is not weekly.
Add drop-off, pick-up and waiting rules
Give the place, time and day for drop-off and for pick-up, how long one parent waits if the other does not show up, and who pays extraordinary costs such as taxi, train or plane.
Complete the holiday visitation grid
For each listed holiday, vacation and the child's birthday, write where the child stays in Year A, Year B or Every Year. Use the Other holiday and Summer Vacation lines for anything not listed.
Record special and school activities
For each activity, enter the child's name, the activity, whether both of you will attend and, if not, which of you will attend.
Set rules for temporary changes
Mark how the parent asking for a change will ask (in person, by letter/email, by phone or other) and the notice period, then how the other parent will reply and by when.
Write the communication rules
State whether parents may contact one another, how the children may contact the other parent, and when and how each parent may contact the child, including during visits.
Divide expenses, support, taxes and college
In the expenses table, enter an amount or % for the mother and the father on each line. Then mark who pays child support, the amount and how often, who takes the income tax deduction in Year A, Year B or Every Year, and the college expense split.
Add other terms, sign and download
Use the OTHER section for anything else you agree on. Have the mother, the father and a witness sign and date the last page, then review every section and download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF.
How to submit Parenting Plan – District of Columbia
The plan reaches the court through your own case: the form says you can ask the judge in your case to incorporate the completed Parenting Plan into a court order, and the DC Courts page for the form says it can be added to a court order.
- Before you submit: enter the DR case number and any related cases at the top, and have the mother, the father and a witness sign and date the last page.
- Where to find the form: the PDF and its download page are at https://www.dccourts.gov/court-resources/search-forms/parenting-plan.
The form prints no mailing address, portal or appointment rule of its own, so follow the Superior Court's directions in your case for how to present it. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's channels for your case.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using one parenting plan for all children when the arrangements differ; the form says to write a separate plan for each child in that case.
- Leaving out children the plan does not cover instead of naming them in the block for children not addressed by this parenting plan.
- Splitting college expenses by percentages that do not total 100%; the form notes that the two percentages must add up to 100%.
- Writing a substitute address without checking the SUBSTITUTE ADDRESS box that explains it is written because of fear of harassment or harm.
- Leaving blank who makes the final decision when you cannot agree, so the plan gives no way to settle a disagreement.
- Assuming the parent asking for a schedule change decides; the form says that if you cannot agree, the parent receiving the request makes the final decision.
- Leaving the signature page incomplete: the form has dated signature lines for the mother, the father and a witness.
- Filling a holiday or expense line with only a vague entry, when the grid asks where the child stays in Year A, Year B or Every Year, and the expense table asks for an amount or % for each parent.
Frequently asked questions
What is a parenting plan in DC Family Court?
The Parenting Plan is a Superior Court of the District of Columbia form on which parents write down who makes decisions, where the children stay and when, and who pays expenses. It is meant to help you think through the details of your custody order.
Can a parenting plan become part of a court order?
Yes. The form says that, if you want, you can ask the judge in your case to incorporate the plan into a court order. The DC Courts page for the form likewise says the written plan can be added to a court order.
Do I need a separate parenting plan for each child?
Only if the parenting arrangements differ for some of your children. In that case the form says to write a separate plan for each child. Children the plan does not address are named in a separate block.
What is the difference between legal and physical custody on this form?
Legal custody covers who makes decisions, such as diet, religion, medical care, discipline and school. Physical custody covers where the children live and the days and times they are with each parent. The form has a separate section for each.
What happens if we cannot agree on a decision or a schedule change?
The form asks you to name which of you makes the final decision if you cannot agree on a decision. For temporary schedule changes, it says that if you cannot agree, the parent receiving the request makes the final decision.
Who has to sign the parenting plan?
The last page has dated signature lines for the mother, the father and a witness. The form does not say that anyone else may sign for a parent.
How do I split college costs on the parenting plan?
Mark whether the plaintiff pays all college tuition, room and board, and books, the defendant pays all, or you share them. If you share, enter a percentage for each; the form notes that the percentages must add up to 100%.
Can I fill out the parenting plan online?
Yes. You can fill out the parenting plan online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF. FillingPDF is an independent service and does not file the plan with the court; present it through the court's channels in your case.
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